Popppppppies ...... poppies ......

What a long, run-filled weekend. Saturday was a team run on the Lafayette-Moraga Trail. I decided to only run 5 miles, since my long run was scheduled for Sunday. Anita and Mary Ann ran 2.5 with me, then continued on to the bathrooms at mile 3. I turned around and concentrated on running slowly and steadily. Well, I managed steadily! My last mile was my fastest of the day, and fastest in a long time. Whoopsie! I was running with another mentor and we were gabbing away; I didn't realize how fast I was going.

A huge crowd of us went to breakfast afterward. I don't think Chow was prepared for 30 hungry runners to all show up at the same time! It took them a while to sort everything out but we finally all got our breakfasts and were very happy with our meals. I enjoyed meeting new teammates, one of my big reasons for rejoining the team.

I didn't do too much the rest of the day, just hung around the house and straightened and laundered. I had a craving for sushi but couldn't be bothered to actually go get it. Why oh why doesn't someone deliver good sushi out here in the 'burbs!?!

Sunday morning was a very very early start. Sandy and I met at 6:30 am in Fremont. Our plan was to run 20 miles on the Alameda Creek Trail. The weather was great; early overcast clearing to mostly sunny, heating up to the low 60s with a breeze. I wasn't too thrilled with the breeze but it was actually really good training for Shamrock, which tends to have strong headwinds. I would have run a perfect half marathon. Unfortunately, that was just about all I had in my legs. I was huffing and puffing, but my breathing wasn't the big problem for once. At just about 15 miles my legs went flat, and the rest of my run was just pure stubbornness. We had broken the run up in a 10 mile leg, an 8 mile and a 2 mile (so we could go back to the cars and get water, etc.). I truly trudged miles 16, 17 and 18, and was run:walking a 4:1. I got back to my car, knowing I needed those last 2 miles but feeling I'd have to walk them. I told Sandy to go on ahead; she was going to go 1.5 miles, turn around, and walk the last mile with me. I ended up run:walking 3:2 for 2 miles, and then decided that I also wanted to go that extra mile since Sandy hadn't caught up with me yet. I just have this mental thing about my marathon prep going over 20 miles. We walked in the last half mile and yay, got our 21 miles done. I was wiped out. Yeah, I AM an asshole!

That was it for the day; I was toast. I did more laundry and managed to go grocery shopping since there was no food in the house. Yum, salad,ice cream and popcorn for dinner. Hey, why else do I run 21 miles?

It's spring here. The hills are green, except where they're covered with bright yellow mustard. Lots of the trees are in bloom, although the snowball trees are mostly done. I saw the first California poppies (and thank you to Wikipedia for the pictures), and a few odd and assorted other poppies. Poppies always make me think of the Wicked Witch of the West. Last year when I visited my old college chum Carol at her new digs in Washington, it was poppy season. Yup, she and her husband also have Oz on the mind when they see the flowers. Now I can't see any without hearing that damn witch cursing the flowers! "something with poison in it" indeed ... what is up with my brain?